Bryan Kortis, Executive Director How to Persuade Municipal Officials to Go with TNR

Why bother? 1.Unfavorable ordinances or regulations 2.Unfavorable policies & practices 3.Municipal interest and involvement to some degree is inevitable as the TNR program grows 4. Municipal support is desirable

Ordinances & Regulations An “ordinance” is a law passed by the local government’s legislative body (e.g., the town council or county legislature) A “regulation” is a rule created by a municipal agency to carry out an ordinance or other law (e.g., Department of Health regulation prohibiting unsanitary conditions)

Ordinances & regulations unfavorable to TNR: 1) Pet limits (key is “ownership”) 2) Cat licensing (“ownership” again) 3) Bans against feeding outdoors 4) Anti-roaming 5) Trapping permits Solution: exemptions for managed colonies

Unfavorable Policies & Practices: Interpretation of Dept. of Health regulation prohibiting the creating of an “unsanitary condition” Trapping of any free-roaming cat by Animal Control Solution: change policy to favor TNR

Why is municipal involvement inevitable? 1.Public health concerns (rabies, sanitation) 2.Quality of life concerns by residents (noise, smell, property damage) 3.Animal control concerns 4.Municipal property rights & liability concerns 5.Wildlife issues So even if there are no unfavorable ordinances, regulations or policies now….

Don’t wait to become a target!! Be proactive about shaping attitudes and perceptions

Municipal support can mean: Security for caretakers Problem-solving partnership Funding Publicity Access to sites (e.g., parks)

Who exactly do you talk to? Look for a friendly face – Mayor, Councilperson, Dept. of Health official, Animal Control officer Climb the ladder – if the Dept. of Health is unreceptive, go to their superiors (e.g., City Council) Best is to approach governing body or Mayor with the support of health or animal control officials already in hand

Know what you’re talking about Why will TNR work where other animal control methods have failed? How does TNR affect public health issues? What is the truth about feral cats and wildlife? Persuading Officials

Resources: Sample TNR Policy Presentation ( The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook, Chapter 1 ( Trap-Neuter-Return: How to Manage a Feral Cat Colony, Lesson 1 (online course at Community Approaches to Feral Cats by Dr. Margaret R. Slater, DVM, (The Humane Society of the US Press, 2002)

Have a plan for when you succeed Prepare a proposed TNR program, including caretaker training, trap bank, spay/neuter, etc. Identify the organization, agency or volunteers that will run the program Identify funding and other resources You don’t want to persuade the town to try TNR and then not have anyone willing or able to do it!!

Making the Pitch Rule #1: Don’t plead for the poor kitties!! Assume your audience is not primarily concerned about the cats’ welfare Most municipal officials care more about public health, animal control and complaints from residents, not whether the cats live or die So DON’T base your argument on TNR being the most humane solution

Instead, focus on: TNR permanently reduces the number of cats TNR reduces nuisance behavior Fewer cats, fewer complaints – that’s what they want to hear!!

TNR reduces the number of feral cats because: Bullet point explanation: Cats don’t reproduce A system for long-term monitoring of colonies is put in place Attrition over time leads to lower numbers

TNR reduces nuisance behavior and lowers complaints because: Dramatically less noise (no mating or fighting) Dramatically less smell (no odor from male cats spraying) Less roaming and lower visibility Controlled feeding Bullet point explanation:

Gather all the data you can Demonstrate there really is a feral cat crisis in your community by: 1. Intake and/or euthanasia rates at local shelters 2.Complaint calls 3.Testimonials from residents & officials familiar and unhappy with the present cat situation (presented in writing or by speaking at public hearings)

With this data, you can say: “Whatever you’re doing now, it isn’t working!! Time to try something new.”

What if they ask: “Why don’t we just get rid of them all?” Response #1: Who’s going to do it? Who’s going to pay for it? Response #2: Explain why removal doesn’t work: vacuum effect (new cats move in) rapid breeding by untrapped cats lack of cooperation by caretakers no long-term monitoring system insufficient animal control resources

What if they declare: “Ban the feeding!” Response #1: “While you’re at it, please ban rain on Sundays.” Officials with little direct experience don’t realize the impracticality of feeding bans. Give a few examples of caretakers who’ve gone to extremes or risked their jobs to feed their cats. Response #2: If it was that easy, there wouldn’t be millions of feral cats running around in this country (or thousands in this county or hundreds in this town).

What if they declare: “Ban the feeding!” (cont’d) Response #3: Explain why bans don’t work Ferals are territorial and will not leave Cats can live weeks without food and continue to reproduce People will continue to abandon them and there won’t be any monitoring system in place Malnourished cats are more susceptible to disease and spreading parasites such as fleas, making the situation much worse.

If they ask: “What if a released cat bites a little girl at a playground? We’ll get sued!*%#!!” Response #1: Ferals are rarely aggressive, but tend to shy away from humans. Response #2: Liability for an injury would have to be based on an act of negligence by the municipality. Implementing or permitting a TNR program to reduce the feral cat population and resolve nuisance complaints is reasonable government behavior, not negligent conduct.

Liability concerns (cont’d) Response #3: Liability for harm caused by animals stems from “ownership” – no one “owns” a released feral cat. Response #4: At least with a TNR program, the offending cat would have been vaccinated against rabies, saving the enormous expense of having to treat the little girl. Response #5: “How about if you turn a TNR program down and the girl gets bitten and sues you for not vaccinating the cat?”

Public Health Concerns Rabies a) vaccinated ferals are better than non-vaccinated cats b) herd immunity – barrier against transmission to humans c) Regarding the difficulty of recapture: one shot is better than none Toxoplasmosis a) handling raw meat poses a much higher risk of transmission than cats. b) no studies show ferals place population at higher risk c) Risk is largely limited to pregnant and immune- compromised

Public Health Concerns (cont’d) Bottom line: fewer cats mean fewer health risks Rodent control is a public health benefit Resource: Read the section on Public Health issues in the Sample Policy Presentation authored by Neighborhood Cats (

Wildlife concerns Bottom line: Fewer feral cats means less predation, whatever the truth may be about the numbers. Bird or wildlife sanctuaries: be willing to explore possibility of relocation with small, discrete areas set aside as sanctuaries for rare, threatened or endangered species susceptible to cat attacks Resource: Read the section on Wildlife issues in the Sample Policy Presentation authored by Neighborhood Cats (

Coming Event!! Neighborhood Cats day-long workshop on TNR: “Helping Shelters/Helping Ferals” March 8, 2006 Animal Care Expo (The Humane Society of the United States) Disneyland Hotel, Anaheim, CA For more info: